Finding Your Marbles
A Mental Health Survival Guide

In Part 4 of the Therapy Series: Leaving Your Therapist, I discussed how therapy relationships end, and how to end a relationship positively. In this final section I will share some of my thoughts on therapy and I will talk a bit about “alternative” therapies that I have encountered.

As I mentioned in the Introduction, therapy saved my life. If I hadn’t gone to therapy, my depression would have spiralled out of control and I don’t know where I would have ended up. In my opinion, therapy is the single best tool for treating mental illness and I can’t recommend it enough. It is one of the necessary steps to full recovery.

Going Back to Therapy

I had to go back to therapy twice. Once, because I had a small crisis, and the second time because my resurfacing memories of abuse had triggered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sometimes you’ve just got to go back.

There is no shame in returning to therapy. It simply means that you need some more help with your healing. For example, think of a pro athlete with a with a bad knee. Even though they get treatment for their knee, they sometimes have to go back for more treatment, or even for different treatment. Therapy is no different.

If you feel that you need to return to therapy, call your therapist and arrange an appointment. Then go in and tell them what’s wrong. You may be surprised and they may tell you that you don’t need to go back to therapy! Or, they may recommend a different type of therapy. Or, you might go back into your regular therapy.

Whatever the case, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Returning to therapy is a sign of strength. It shows that you know when to ask for help.

Multiple Therapists

I have never personally had more than one therapist at a time, but I know a few people who have done it. Sometimes you will have multiple therapists if you are dealing with a combination of a mental condition with a medical condition. In these cases you have a therapy for your mental condition, and a specialist, such as a psychiatrist, for your medical condition.

The important thing with multiple therapist situations is communication. It is very important to keep the lines of communication open between you, your therapists, and each other. Multiple therapist situations can be very confusing so it is important that everyone is on the same page.

Alternative Therapies

Throughout this series I have been discussing “traditional” psychology-based therapy. There are other types of therapy that work as well, some of which I have tried. Without going into too much detail, here are a few different alternative therapies that I have tried, with my thoughts on them:

Massage
Massage is not really “therapy” in the sense that it seeks to correct a mood disorder or mental condition, but I get massages for stress relief. I also found that when I was suffering with anxiety that massage was a huge help, especially shiatsu massage. It isn’t a substitute for talk therapy, but massage can be a very good companion to your therapy. I always tried to go for a massage the day after my therapy sessions.

Aromatherapy
I didn’t have a lot of luck with using aromatherapy for anxiety or depression. However, I do burn incense or scented candles when I need to relax, so I think that for me, it is definitely more of a stress-reduction thing. It’s cheap and easy to do, so aromatherapy is worth checking out.

Primal Screaming
Basically you yell really really hard in order to release intense emotions. I used it when I was doing anger management. It makes you feel good, but it’s hard to find a place where you can yell at the top of your voice…

Faith-Based Therapy
Some religious groups, such as the Catholic Church, offer faith-based therapy. It’s not for everyone, but it attempts to place healing and recovery into a greater context of faith and spirituality. Some faith-based therapists use Yoga or meditation techniques in their work. People I know who have tried it, swear by it, so if you are a spiritual person then faith-based therapy might be worth a try.

Be Yourself

The secret to success in therapy is to choose what works for you. Try to think of your therapist not as a “healer” but as a “guide to a healing place.” Your therapist is only there to guide you to recovery. The journey is still up to you.

My favourite therapist said something to me one day, after a really difficult session when I was ready to give up on everything. I began complaining that I would never be healed. I don’t remember his exact words, so I am paraphrasing, but he responded:

“I can’t heal you. I can only be your guide. The secret to your healing is within yourself, and my job is to help you find it.”

Whatever type of therapy you choose, and whichever therapist you work with, always remember that your ultimate goal is to find the secret of healing within yourself.

Good luck.

Anxiety Bipolar Disorder Depression Health Mental Health PTSD schizophrenia Stress therapy

This entry was posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2007 at 7:54 am and is filed under Anxiety, Depression, Health, Mental Health. You can follow responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment or trackback from your site.

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These posts may be related:

Therapy Series: Introduction »

Therapy Series Part 3: What to do After Each Therapy Session »

Therapy Series Part 4: Leaving Your Therapist »

Disclosure Series Part 3: Who Should You Tell About Your Mental Illness? »